How Cheap Is Too Cheap

[Teethatyourfeet]

I live int he GTA, and there are a lot of personal trainers. I'm not certified yet, but I often check the classifieds to what people offer, what they price it at, who it's aimed at, etc...

Anyway, today I came across this ad:

At inHome Fit you receive:

*one on one attention and motivation from the comfort of your home, office or condo.
*corrected imbalances (not accomplished with bootcamps)
*knowledgable and experienced personal trainer
*flexible scheduling
*personalized program

No membership fees, no equipment needed, no gimmicky diet, just lasting results done the RIGHT way!!

~Contact inHome Fit today to schedule a FREE consultation~


Now, this guy is charging 30 dollars a session. Does that seem on the very low end to you, or is this what some of you would deem as a 'great deal'?

Just looking for some thoughts on this... To you, what is the price of ondercutting vs being aggressive?

[patkoch]

Yes thirty dollars is way to cheap if you are trying to be profitable. In my city the going rate for in home stuff is more like 100

[PerFit]

Never play the cheap price game. there will always be someone who will undercut you. When you are cheaper you need to find more clients to make the same money and the quality of clients gets lower and lower.

[WoofieNugget]

In the GTA the at home rate is anywhere from 60-80 an hour on average. If the guy is only charging 30 he's desperate for clients and isn't going to make any money so won't be around long.

When something is too cheap, there is a reason for it. Plus he's just asking for clients who don't see any value in the service and are only price shoppers.

[Simmo0508]

If he's that cheap, then he provides a cheap product. Usually the cheap trainers are the ones new to the industry and don't back themselves yet. Looking to create a client base and don't understand the business as much as those whom are more experienced.

The quality trainer's charge a premium price, have confidence and back themselves, and only want to work with a market that has steady income and can afford long-term luxury services.

Let them charge that much, as the good clients will see through that service after a few sessions and catch on as per why he's that cheap. Be it results-wise, or professionalism, attendance, respect to time/schedule, fitness knowledge etc.

Rich people do not want cheap things anyway, so the "good" clients one would say gravitate towards the premium services often just for the status boost. Price shoppers and window lickers are often short-term clients whom aren't that well off in life and will statistically give you a lot more headaches.

Disregard his pricing, and focus on your own and your quality of service. What do you feel your time is worth?

[arian11]

As mentioned,

-Don't let the bottom 20% of the market dictate your price.
-Market yourself to the top 60% of demographic you are trying to obtain.
-Low price point or discounting lowers your return per client.
-Your price point should offend and steer off a small percentage of people. PT is not for everyone. You don't want the people who are living paycheck to paycheck since you could lose them at any point. Even if you put up an ad for $30, they'll call/e-mail you and say you are too expensive and that Joe Schmo down the street is doing the same thing for $20. Then you will drop it down to $20 thinking you can get more clients and the $30 clients will hear about it and complain that they are getting screwed.